Steve Railsback Biography
Born: 1947
Before underappreciated character actor Steve Railsback became a fixture in the direct-to-video market, he studied with Lee_Strasberg and spent a decade acting on the N.Y.C. theater circuit. His made his film debut in Elia_Kazan's 1972 crime thriller The_Visitors, and followed that up with a role in the 1974 action drama Cockfighter. His first major film role was as the cult leader Charles_Manson in the 1976 CBS movie Helter_Skelter, based on the book by Vincent_Bugliosi. He starred opposite Sophia_Loren in the barely released Canadian film Angela and opposite Kim_Basinger in the six-hour romantic miniseries From Here to Eternity. His last mainstream starring role was in the 1980 offbeat action movie The_Stunt_Man, as a fugitive who stumbles onto the set of a fictional movie directed by Peter O'Toole and starring Barbara_Hershey. The movie developed a bit of a cult following, and as a result Railsback developed a small but appreciative audience.
Throughout the remainder of the '80s, Railsback thrived as a leading man in the special area of low-budget B-movies seen mostly on cable or home video. Some schlocky favorites include the British sci-fi horror flick Lifeforce and the Australian action movie Escape_2000. A few exceptions to his action-filled resumé are the family drama The_Golden_Seal and the period comedy Calender_Girl. In the '90s he tried producing and screenwriting while also playing recurring psychopath Duane Barry on FOX's The X-Files. He made his directorial debut in 1994 with The_Spy_Within, an erotic thriller starring Scott_Glenn and Theresa_Russell. In 1997 he joined the cast of the FOX sci-fi drama series The Visitor for a season. In 2000 he returned to playing sicko psychopaths as the title character in the creepy biopic Ed_Gein. In addition to portraying the farmer-turned-serial killer, he also served as executive producer. He stayed with the horror genre for his next appearance in the South African movie Slash (2002). Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
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